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Monsoon flood victims in Pakistan remain in critical need

3 December 2012

According to the latest report of the United Nation Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA Situation Report No 6 – 2nd of November) 5 million people are affected; 1.1 million acres of crops were spoiled; 14,159 affected villages; 465,526 damaged houses; 159,961 People in relief camps; 118 Relief camps. The flooded areas are in Balochistan, Punjab and Sindh provinces.

The Diocese of Multan is located in the Punjab province where 887,345 people have been affected according to the National Disaster Management Agency (IFRC Information bulletin 5th November). Bishop Rodrick explains the main needs of people in the district of Rajan Pur, Dera Ghazi Khan, Muzaffar Garh:

Food supplies: the affected communities are low-income families that have already spent much on the sowing of the cotton crop, which has been totally destroyed leaving then without financial means to purchase items. Their food storage and fodder for livestock have been washed away and the nearby markets have been also damaged.

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene: is a great concern due to the outbreak of waterborne diseases and the animosity among the communities that this provokes.

Non-Food Items: when houses collapsed or were swept away, communities lost most of their household assets, such as kitchen utensils, clothing, bedding, tools etc.

Shelter: affected households have urgent needs for enclosure: their main priorities are keeping key possessions, privacy (especially for women) and protection from the coming winter.